Using the Cloud Architecture to Automate the Farmer Input Support Programme (Fisp) Inventory System

Inventory processes in the agriculture sector of most developing countries Zambia inclusive still remain manual based. This has resulted in lengthy business processes and inconsistent data processing leading to tedious and complicated processes in the sector. A baseline study was carried out to make us understand the problem in the distribution and management of Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP). The results from the study showed that warehouses were not linked to any computer system and had no computers. The results also show that 61.76% of record keeping was done on spreadsheets and relayed on manual systems to capture data. About 68% of the systems lacked proper monitoring and tracking mechanisms leading to stock theft. The study also revealed that 56% of thefts occurred at warehouses, 35% during transportation and 9% at satellite depots. The study also aimed at automating the inventory processes based on the results from the baseline study. A model was developed and used to come up with a prototype to integrate and automate business processes using barcode technology. The developed system showed improved processes in the FISP inventory system

A hybrid traceability technology selection approach for sustainable food supply chains

Traceability technologies have great potential to improve sustainable performance in cold food supply chains by reducing food loss. In existing approaches, traceability technologies are selected either intuitively or through a random approach, that neither considers the trade-off between multiple cost–benefit technology criteria nor systematically translates user requirements for traceability systems into the selection process. This paper presents a hybrid approach combining the fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) with integer linear programming to select the optimum traceability technologies for improving sustainable performance in cold food supply chains. The proposed methodology is applied in four case studies utilising data collected from literature and expert interviews. The proposed approach can assist decision-makers, e.g., food business operators and technology companies, to identify what combination of technologies best suits a given food supply chain scenario and reduces food loss at minimum cost.Cambridge Trust and Commonwealth Scholarship Commission

Auto ID-Bridging the physical and the digital on construction projects

This book looks at how auto-ID has evolved and how it can be used in the construction industry and across projects from the perspective of all the stakeholders, from owners to design consultants, contractors and the supply chain. It could help to improve efficiency, reduce costs, ensure quality, protect the environment, and enhance safety

Product traceability in manufacturing industries: Business case and pilot project.

Innovation is increasing rapidly in every sector of the industry. This improvement and development are imperative to industries. Some are up-to-date, and others are improving. We are already witnessing the era of technology-dependent industry, where technology plays a key role in the manufacturing processes. Disruptive technologies are changing the way enterprises operate. It is essential for the industries which are focused on delivering fast and reliable service to the clients. As the technology and innovation are increasing, they could help the ceramic industry for the options presently available in interrelated technology, which are already impacting the industrial development in Industry 4.0 During previous industrialization eras there have been many improvements in different industrial sectors, which have led to rapid growth universally across industries. The present research included the review of approaches towards the ceramic traceability industry. This thesis presents a discussion on traceability of products in the ceramic industry by observing the production process. There are many stages of the production process where the materials and products are difficult to track, However, industries are concerned about the quantity and number of products produced that will meet the expectations at the end. It is challenging for the enterprises to manage, organize and trace the products throughout the manufacturing process, from raw material till final packaging. Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) systems are a common and useful tool in manufacturing, supply chain management, and retail inventory control. Optical barcodes, another universal automatic identification system, have been a familiar packaging feature on consumer items for years. Due to advances in silicon manufacturing technology, RFID costs have dropped significantly. Soon, low-cost RFID “electronic product codes” or “smart-labels” may be a practical replacement for optical barcodes on consumer items. Unfortunately, the universal deployment of RFID devices in consumer items may pose new security and privacy risks not present in closed manufacturing environments. This thesis presents an introduction to RFID technology, identifies several potential threats to security and privacy, and offers several practical proposals for efficient security mechanisms.N/

Sustainable supply chain management for blue economics in Northern Norway

In the first part of thesis, there was conducted a literature review of production and the supply chain with regards to fish farming, existing technologies, together with the potential of alternative digital technology. In the second part, a case study of a relevant manufacturer who is involved in all the aspects of the value chain was carried out to gain insight into relevant supply chain management. There was also carried out research on consumer wishes, and consumer behaviour, to further understand the value-potential of fish products. Solution contains necessities and potential-assessment of a new product service system, and the accompanying benefits for both the consumer and manufacturer

UTILIZING AUTOMATIC IDENTIFICATION TRACKING SYSTEMS TO COMPILE OPERATIONAL FIELD AND STRUCTURE DATA

The Maryland State Highway Administration (SHA) and its Office of Materials Technology (OMT) is responsible for ensuring the materials used on its roadway system are properly designed, produced, and built to the approved standards. Each technology subdivision is responsible for the quality assurance of the materials used in transportation facility construction. The management of these materials relies on a series of intensive human processes involving sample collection and delivery. As the materials travel throughout the OMT, associated material information is manually recorded into a localized network database and the Material Management System (MMS) separately. The current large amount of human involvement necessary in the material clearance process can be streamlined with the integration of automatic identification technology (AIT). This study utilizes past implementations of AIT into civil engineering and construction applications to provide the SHA with AIT system hardware recommendations, software development considerations, estimated investment costs, and return on investment

Selection process of auto-ID technology in warehouse management: A Delphi study

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of philosophy and awarded by Brunel UniversityIn a supply chain, a warehouse is a crucial component for linking all chain parties. Automatic identification and data capture (auto-ID) technology, e.g. RFID and barcodes are among the essential technologies in the 21st century knowledge-based economy. Selecting an auto-ID technology is a long term investment and it contributes to improving operational efficiency, achieving cost savings and creating opportunities for higher revenues. The interest in auto-ID research for warehouse management is rather stagnant and relatively small in comparison to other research domains such as transport, logistics and supply chain. However, although there are some previous studies that explored factors for the auto-ID selection decision in a warehouse environment, those factors (e.g., operational factors) have been examined separately and researchers have paid no attention to all key factors that may potentially affect this decision. In fact, yet there is no comprehensive framework in the literature that comprehensively investigates the critical factors influencing the auto-ID selection decision and how the factors should be combined to produce a successful auto-ID selection process in warehouse management. Therefore, the main aim of this research is to investigate empirically the auto-ID technology-selection process and to determine the key factors that influence decision makers when selecting auto-ID technology in the warehouse environment. This research is preceded by a comprehensive and systematic review of the relevant literature to identify the set of factors that may affect the technology selection decision. The Technology-Organisation-Environment (TOE) framework has been used as lens to categorise the identified factors (Tornatzky & Fleischer, 1990). Data were collected by conducting first a modified (mixed-method) two-round Delphi study with a worldwide panel of experts (107) including academics, industry practitioners and consultants in auto-ID technologies. The results of the Delphi study were then verified via follow-up interviews, both face-to-face and telephone, carried out with 19 experts across the world. This research in nature is positivist, exploratory/descriptive, deductive/inductive and quantitative/qualitative. The quantitative data were analysed using the statistical package for social sciences, SPSS V.18, while the qualitative data of the Delphi study and the interviews were analysed manually using quantitative content analysis approach and thematic content analysis approach respectively. The findings of this research are reported on the motivations/reasons of warehouses in seeking to use auto-ID technologies, the challenges in making an auto-ID decision, the recommendations to address the challenges, the key steps that should be followed in making auto-ID selection decision, the key factors and their relative importance that influence auto-ID selection decision in a warehouse. The results of the Delphi study show that the six major factors affecting the auto-ID selection decision in warehouse management are: organisational, operational, structural, resources, external environmental and technological factors (in decreasing order of importance). In addition, 54 key sub-factors have been identified from the list of each of the major factors and ranked in decreasing order of the importance mean scores. However, the importance of these factors depends on the objectives and strategic motivations of warehouse; size of warehouse; type of business; nature of business environment; sectors; market types; products and countries. Based on the Delphi study and the interviews findings, a comprehensive multi-stage framework for auto-ID technology selection process has been developed. This research indicates that the selection process is complex and needs support and closer collaboration from all participants involved in the process such as the IT team, top management, warehouse manager, functional managers, experts, stockholders and vendors. Moreover, warehouse managers should have this process for collaboration before adopting the technology in order to reduce the high risks involved and achieve successful implementation. This research makes several contributions for both academic and practitioners with auto-ID selection in a warehouse environment. Academically, it provides a holistic multi-stage framework that explains the critical issues within the decision making process of auto-ID technology in warehouse management. Moreover, it contributes to the body of auto-ID and warehouse management literature by synthesising the literature on key dimensions of auto-ID (RFID/barcode) selection decision in the warehouse field. This research also provides a theoretical basis upon which future research on auto-ID selection and implementation can be built. Practically, the findings provide valuable insights for warehouse managers and executives associated with auto-ID selection and advance their understanding of the issues involved in the technology selection process that need to be considered.Damascus University, Syria and The British Council, Mancheste

Developing a model for halal food supply chain implementation

The global demand for halal food products continues to grow as the Muslim population increases and spreads throughout the world. Malaysia has taken the initiative to position itself as a global halal food hub and the Malaysian government has developed strategies to support this objective. Since an efficient distribution system is required to fulfil the global demand for halal food, the focus of halal food management has shifted from an organisation-centred perspective to a supply chain perspective. Despite this shift in perspective, a review of the existing supply chain literature suggests that limited comprehensive research has been conducted on the halal food supply chain to date. Through a systematic literature review, we propose a conceptual model for studying the dimensions of halal food supply chain implementation as a second order construct and investigating the relationship between halal food supply chain implementation and organisational performance. To collect data, a survey was conducted amongst 600 halal certified processed food and beverage organisations in Malaysia. A total of 240 organisations participated in this study. A two-stage approach of structural equation modelling (SEM) was employed to analyse the data and test the hypothesised relationships. The findings of this thesis largely support the hypothesised relationships proposed in the conceptual model. The results of the SEM revealed that nine out of eleven dimensions are crucial and significantly define halal food supply chain implementation as a second order construct. The findings also support the hypothesis that halal food supply chain implementation can positively affect an organisation’s marketing and financial performance. Finally, the results revealed that an organisation’s financial performance is impacted by its marketing performance. This thesis has made a significant contribution to theoretical, practical and methodological knowledge by developing the first comprehensive model of halal food supply chain implementation by identifying the dimensions of the model. Furthermore, the relationship between halal food supply chain implementation and organisational performance suggests to manufacturers that the model is particularly capable of increasing the marketing performance and financial performance within the context of the halal food industry. Moreover, these findings imply the need for halal food organisations in general, and halal processed food and beverage organisations in particular, to strategically lever on the nine dimensions of the halal food supply chain implementation model. This should not go unnoticed either by practitioners or academia. Finally, this study can be used as a comprehensive reference model by manufacturers and policy-makers in the halal food industry